Índex per January 2026 a Practical Classics

With the autumn budget approaching, the importance of the Federation of British Historic Vehicle Clubs’ survey of our industry cannot be understated. Once again, the Feds have taken a deep dive into the economic value of what we all do and come up with a figure which stacks up – and one which we can use. We live in a time where the cold hard reality of economic ‘value’ trumps any other consideration, so we must set out our stall in terms of pounds and pence. That figure, £7.3 billion, really matters. It is based on the FBHVC’s rigorous research and is indisputable. If we come under attack in any way, it is our defence – a real defence. It isn’t just based on a subjective or emotional view of…

According to the latest survey by the Federation of British Historic Vehicle Clubs (FBHVC), the average age of classic car owners in the UK age has increased from 63 to 66. The UK’s ongoing cost-of-living crisis is stopping younger enthusiasts from snapping up their first classic buys – despite car enthusiasts under the age of 35 showing plenty of interest in owning older vehicles. Experts have called for more to be done to encourage the next generation after new figures from the Federation of British Historic Vehicle Clubs showed that the average age of classic owners in the UK is now 66, compared to 63 five years ago. Borrow A Classic founder Bob Wilkinson said: ‘Buying a classic is way out of sight for many young people. Classic car ownership depends on…

How did you first get into classic cars? 'I have been into classic cars for as long as I can remember. It’s something I have always had a passion for. My dad owned a MkI Triumph 2000 when I was little, so that’s where it all started – especially my love for Triumphs. He had the biggest influence on me. He’s also owned numerous other Triumph 2000/2500s over the years, so that’s where my enthusiasm for those particular cars comes from.' What is your latest project? ‘My latest project is a 1968 Triumph 2.5 PI MkI. I have owned it for 2½ years and it was the car I wanted from an early age. There’s always some maintenance to be done on the car – for example I want to…

‘A- and B-posts had been welded in the wrong place’ The success of their previous restoration convinced David Pooley and Ian Clarke to tackle another. ‘When we met I had a Triumph Stag that had been off the road for 12 years,’ remembers David. ‘One day in the pub I said to Ian, “we’re both retired, how do you fancy restoring the Stag?” We dragged it into the workshop and, once completed, Ian’s wife Fiona ended up buying the car. Now we fancied another British sports car. The MGA is such a pretty car and Paul Banyard at NTG Motor Services said he knew a chap who’d started a 1959 MGA 1500 before becoming unwell. We went to Southend to look at it.’ ‘It seemed OK,’ recalls Ian. ‘It sat…

Love Practical Classics – my no.1 mag!Graham, April 2025 I have been reading PC for the past fifteen years. Best classic magazine by far.Norm, October 2024 Terms & Conditions: *£19.99 for six issues refers to a Print+ subscription trial. The trial auto renews every six months at £29.99 after the initial trial period. Offers close December 29, 2025. UK only. Your subscription will start with the next available issue. Cost from landlines for 01 numbers per minute are (approximate) 2p to 10p. Cost from mobiles per minute (approximate) 10p to 40p. Costs vary depending on the location. You may get free calls to some numbers as part of your call package – please check with your phone provider. Order lines open 8am-9.30pm (Mon-Fri), 8am-4pm (Sat). Calls may be monitored or…

Where once every manufacturer had a coupé in its range – often a cut down, rakish version of a family wagon – in this era of conformity, it appears only to be the preserve of Germanmanu facturers at the high end. No fun for the rest of us, then. But what is a coupé anyway? It is the Frenchword for ‘cut’, so implies a lowered roof line. In theUSA, the Society of Automotive Engineers defines a coupé as being a car that has ‘an interior space ofless than 33 cubic feet’. Whatever the stats, coupés throughout the past century came in a wide range of shapes and sizes – from-four-door, stream lined versions of standard saloons such as the P5B Coupé, to bespoke designs like the Fiat Coupé. What isabundantly…

Why you want one Evolving from the ground-breaking Bradford-built Javelin family car of 1947, the highly advanced Jupiter emerged, at first, as a mere chassis displayed at the 1949 London Motor Show. When the completed car was unveiled the following spring in New York City, jaws dropped. There had never been anything quite like it. An aerodynamic body covered a tubular chassis designed by Auto Union, ERA and Aston Martin engineer Robert Eberan-Eberhors – while torsion bar suspension at each end, large Girling hydraulic brakes, and Jowett’s front-mounted flat-four engine hit the spot with the press, customers and racing drivers alike. The fine-handling Jupiter won its class in the 1950 Le Mans 24 Hours, with more class wins in the 1951 and 1952 races. Other successes included the 1951 RAC…

The Japanese car industry in the late Eighties and very early Nineties was booming like DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince out of a Panasonic RX-5090. That is to say, the big (and even some of the small) car makers found themselves riding fiscal flotsam at high tide. Sadly, a global recessionshaped tsunami was on its way – one so destructive that, were it not for Porsche seeking Toyota’s production expertise, even the Stuttgart stallion would likely have called it quits. Subaru, in an exceptionally unlikely and equally poorly judged move (in hindsight) offered its own take on a super GT with the SVX in 1991. A concept had been teased at the 1989 Tokyo Auto Show, with Subaru rightly proud of its Giorgetto Giugiaro/Ital Design lines. The concept apparently…

Lotus Europa S Models built on the Elise platform came thick and fast and almost every one of them offered something unique, which broadened the appeal of the Lotus brand into the Noughties. However, the Europa S of 2006 is something of a black sheep. In essence, it’s a Vauxhall VX220 with a roof that offers more practicality (just) and usability than an Elise. The problem was that it neither offered the performance nor comfort of the traditional compact GTs it was pitched against. Neither was it as sharp and focused as the Elise or the even more extreme Exige, so it fell through the gaps. Its Evora replacement was perfectly judged and sold well, which leaves the Europa S as something of a rare and potentially collectible curio. Just…

This month I’ve been beard gazing. Not my own – I don’t have one, they’re too itchy. Instead I’ve been considering that of former CAR columnist and legendary motoring journalist, the late LJK Setright, and his eclectic choice of motor cars. That moment came on a sun-drenched French test route, behind the wheel of something that shouldn’t really exist in 2026: it’s a brand-new Honda Prelude. In a world that’s gone SUV-crazy, this new car feels like a palette cleanser. It is lightweight, elegant and mechanical in a way that instantly and completely resets your senses. The last time we saw a proper coupé revival was back in the Nineties, when the angular Vauxhall Calibra first landed and turned the market completely on its head. That car kick-started a decade…

After months of planning and preparation the hour was finally upon us. At 6pm on Friday 3 October, myself and co-drivers Stephen Cooper and Greg MacLeman were at Knebworth House near Stevenage in my 2000 saloon, alongside 87 other crews and their Triumph motor cars of all shapes and sizes. The objective? Taking on the formidable Club Triumph Round Britain Reliability Run, the 29th running of an endurance event that traces its roots all the way back to 1966. Flagged away by CT dignitaries, we began the steady run up the A1 to the first RBRR control stop at Wetherby Services. Although it had rained all afternoon running up to the start, the weather was fairly mild during this stretch of the event, although we were duly warned as to…

WINTER USE How to winterise your classic Q I have a car collection, and I've decided to use the scruffiest one over winter. How should I prep it? Stephen Grace, Horwich Ed says A First, deal with any open sores that are going to fester when things turn wet and salty. Touch up paintwork scabs, then look for and weld up any holes. Replace loose seam sealer, either with panel sealant or plumber’s putty – which remains oily and sticky and never sets. Next, spray the underbody with rustproofing wax. Look out for loose patches of underseal. Investigate, but be aware that sinister bulges in the coating might conceal a rust hole. Pay particular attention to the front wings of older cars, and the structural parts around the front and…

MATT’S JOB CARD DRIVESHAFT REFURB Sealed against dirt with a rubber gaiter and packed with high-performance grease, the most likely cause for intervention will be when a gaiter starts to perish or splits. If the latter goes unnoticed, grit will kill the joint. High torque applications can cause a hard-to-diagnose issue when one or more bearings fail to roll up and down their tracks, producing a severe vibration or oscillation under load. If the joint is worn or damaged, the spider and tulip need to be replaced as a pair. How tough? You’ll need ▸ Degreaser, brush and tray▸ Sharp side-cutters▸ Junior hacksaw▸ Two pairs of pliers▸ Three-legged puller▸ Hammer▸ Banding tool (optional) Will take (HR) 2 Will cost (From £) 40 EXPLAINER HOW IT WORKS Ever since the rear-wheel…

The Lancaster Insurance Classic Motor Show has once again attracted huge crowds to the NEC. The November jamboree saw the Solihull halls packed with more than 3000 classics as over 35,000 visitors soaked up the scale of the event, and were wowed by the efforts of the 310 clubs and countless specialists. The Practical Classics team was there in force with a stand and special offers; every day it was packed as the team rolled out the legendary PC Pub Quiz. Elsewhere the live stage was awash with speakers, with Mike Brewer and Danny Hopkins hosting panels. Top Gear legend Richard Hammond and the DriveTribe team made daily appearances and Mike Brewer’s Meet the Experts theatre went down a storm. In all, more than 600 vehicles were on sale over…

Don’t forget, the best gift of all, a PC subscription-6 issues for just £19.99 Nutcracker suite METRIC COLOURED COMBINATION SPANNER SET £52.74 Thoroughly festive, this combination spanner set features 13 spanners: 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 19mm, each with a ring end cranked at 15°. The spanners are chrome vanadium steel hardened, tempered and coloured chrome plated, with each colour representing a different size. A great gift idea. drapertools.com Festive investigative PORTABLE ENDOSCOPE CAMERA £468 it’s not cheap, but this professional-grade endoscope has the potential to become a tinkerer’s favourite tool if it prevents major stripdowns. It features a 360° swivel lens, high-resolution five-inch LCD screen, one metre flexible probe and built-in LED torch to see clearly in even the darkest depths of an…

Where do we start? ‘Well, in the first barn we have the Singer Vogue Estate, an unfinished project that I completed, then there’s the 1968 Morris Minor two-door saloon with period mods including Fiat 500 front seats. The caravan is a 1970 Knowsley Caravan. We bought it last year and got it into usable condition – we tow it behind the Marina Mumford Convertible. The 1981 TR7 is about to have a gearbox rebuild. It’s in lovely condition.’ ‘OK, next barn? The Mumford is a 1975 car, a TC and it’s well known to the club. It was at the NEC two years ago, has done 103,000 miles and it’s lovely because it has never been restored. It has its original engine and box, but it has been looked after.…

1 DEC 2018 New chassis? Once on the scissor lift, the MGA reveals a twisted chassis at the rear. It’s declared beyond repair, so a replacement chassis must be sourced from a specialist. 2 APRIL 2019 Careful strip The delicate aluminium panels are stripped gently one by one in the homemade blast cabinet using a fine silicon carbide abrasive media. 3 OCT 2019 Disaster The offside door A-post and this B-post were incorrectly positioned. The old metal is discarded, new posts are sourced and then properly installed. 4 APRIL 2022 Three times The first dry-run reassembly is carried out to ensure all the parts fit together precisely. The guys do three in total, the second in July 2023 – to avoid later having to drill into the body once the perfect new paint…

I was fixing a mate’s Defender on the drive when one of my neighbours mentioned he had seen a Land Rover fire engine in Harrogate. My dad drove down to have a look and put a note through the door of the house where it had sat for quite some time – a year to the day later, the owner got in touch. Then we saw it in the magazine! It appeared in the Rust in Peace section in the January 2022 edition of Practical Classics. A week later, me and my mate went down to have a look at it, he’s got and L200 and a trailer. We towed it back on the day. First job was door tops, I wanted to get it water tight. I got them…

Recent auction sales have seen very tempting buys for fans of two-door Jaguars from the 1950s right up to the turn of the century. The £30,375 paid for for a highly original 1956 XK140 coupé at H&H in Buxton in mid-October looked cheap, while a 1993 XJS 6.0-litre V12 with just 51,000 miles could have been yours for £9844. Want a soft top? You could have gone even faster with a 56,000-mile 1999 XKR supercharged convertible, well bought at £7031. If only an E-type will do, there are continuing signs of low-cost entries into the most glamorous of all roadgoing Jags. It seems gloom in the market over E-type values is leading to pessimistic estimates, as shown by the pretty 1970 Series 2 FHC sold at WB & Sons in Newcastle on…

If the Sixties were swinging and the Seventies were the space age, the Eighties was all about the oncoming digital age. The Ferrari Testarossa was representative of that. Images of Sonny Crockett (played by Don Johnson) prowling the mean city streets at night in Miami Vice complemented the car’s appearance in groundbreaking computer game Out Run – an arcade hit for millions across the planet. At the opposite end of the (Sinclair) spectrum was Vauxhall’s introduction of a dazzling digital display for its second-generation Astra GTE – a feature that had many of us ‘young uns’ going dizzy. While the decade that followed would be all about precision handling, the Eighties gave us a range of brutish performance cars. BMW’s 635CSi was one such monster with boasts of high performance and…

2001 AUDI TT QUATTRO Chris Andrews, North East Having always had a strong desire for a stylish slice of Audi history, Chris loves looking back at his TT. 2002 CITROËN X SARA PICASSO Harry Lee, UK ‘A very useful eggshaped modern classic’ according to Harry, a man who clearly loves the practicality of his Citroën. 2004 AUDI A4 Daniel Latus, Essex Excellent build quality and banging bass from the Bose in-car entertainment system keep Dan delighted with his daily driver. Katie says… ‘Modern classics are essential for a thriving future. That’s why FJ is right behind JJ and the team at PC, bringing modern classics to life every four weeks.’ Katie Delamain-Blunt, Head of Marketingv…

Why you want one The R129 incarnation of the iconic SL was introduced at a time when Mercedes-Benz claimed to build the best car… and truly meant it. The quality of the 1988 R129 was exceptional, the model having been in development since early that decade. Replacing the classy R107, it was even more refined – a technological tour-de-force. But scary tales of costly failures have contributed to values staying sensible, especially for six-cylinder cars. So did build quality suffer towards the end of its life as badly as some would have you believe? Well, let’s start by seeing what’s out there. If you’re looking for an early version of the R129, the range went on sale in 1989, initially in six-cylinder 300 SL and 300 SL-24 (24-valve) guise, plus…

The annual Sunbeam Motorcycle Club Pioneer Run from Epsom Downs to Brighton is off the radar for most of us classic car types. That’s mainly because it is for motorcycles, tricycles, sidecars and selected quadricycles – yes they are a thing – manufactured before the close of the 1914 ‘season’. Very niche. Even so, it is the world’s largest gathering of pre-1915 machines, with typically 250 entries on the day, all put-put-putting on the way to the south coast. It is a unique event, like a London to Brighton but without the pageantry or price tag – and I have to say, I love it. I was support crew last year for ‘Beatrix’, a 1914 Morgan Sporting… this year I would get to drive. But first, lessons! ‘Beatrix’ (BE 2387)…

Any resto is full of ups and downs. As tinkerers, we’re hard wired to search out the endorphins that accompany tangible progress or a spot of retail therapy. It’s why so many projects start with easy wins being chased – tyres that will have aged and hardened by the time the car hits the road bought and fitted, to freshly painted wheels or brake systems rebuilt front to back only to seize up in storage long before the bodywork is complete. It’s a tough line to tread as this is, after all, a hobby that is supposed to be enjoyable. So, picking those easy wins carefully while also chipping away at the bigger picture can present an interesting challenge. The key, I feel, to project success is not only careful…

ANDY’S JOB CARD SORT SELF-CANCELLING My task this time is to get the self-cancelling indicators adjusted and working properly after a recent steering rack swap on my son Sam’s car. Often neglected or overlooked, self-cancelling indicators are a simple but effective system for ensuring direction signals are cancelled after operation and are essential for safety. We will look at common issues and problems; how to check and adjust; and go through how to set up the system step by step to ensure correct operation. How tough? You’ll need ▸ Correct size socket for steering wheel▸ Ratchet, sockets▸ Breaker bar, extension etc▸ Assorted spanners▸ Hammer, drift, punch▸ Screwdrivers▸ Pliers Will take 2 (HR)2 Will cost (FROM) £0 EXPLAINER HOW SHOULD IT WORK? Most cars built from the mid-Fifties on have a…

Datsun reborn We meet the man who restored his astonishing 260C A winter’s snail We drive to the Alps for a uniquely icy mountain race 02 connected In-depth guide on bagging the best 02 Series BMW PLUS The restoration of a 1949 Triumph Roadster, an Alfa Romeo 156 rescue, and a guide to the Lotus Carlton. We flip open our fantasy wallets and choose between some luxury V8s and, back down to earth, tackle steering racks at our workshop, where we update you on our own project cars. PAY LESS AND NEVER MISS A COPY! See p56 FEBRUARY ISSUE ON SALE DEC 17 MISSING US ALREADY? Come join the conversation at Practical Classics on YouTube, Facebook, Instagram and TikTok!…

Get off the internet. Easier said than done, but I reckon it is essential for the true enjoyment of our hobby… and life, for that matter. Apart from the huge sea of disinformation that now swills around social media, much of which is cynically and deliberately created to make you angry (because it drives engagement), here’s the other thing – it is a catastrophic waste of time. Unless you are researching something specific, or looking to do a task (YouTube guide), I can’t think of a compelling reason to get behind a keyboard. And is it ‘social’? Going to the pub is social. Going to a club meet is social. Talking to a friend on the phone is social. But social media? It is communication with most of the humanity…

More than 100 classic Astons gathered for the 70th anniversary celebrations at Aston Martin works in Newport Pagnell on 11 October. The celebrations included every major Aston Martin and Lagonda model built between 1955 and the early 2000s to present. DB7 and V12 Vanquish designer Ian Callum spoke, along with motorsport legend Ray Mallock and Iain Heggie, son of 1960s Aston MD Steve Heggie. Every area of the business was open throughout, with visitors able to look ‘behind the scenes’. Aston Martin’s Paul Spires said, ‘We wanted the 70th event to be memorable, but it was such a special affair! I don’t think there was ever a time when so many DB6s were parked outside Sunnyside and on the 60th anniversary of the car’s launch!’…

Members of the UK’s biggest Triumph club have raised a staggering £45,000 by driving 2000 miles in 48 hours. The Club Triumph Round Britain Reliability Run happens every other year and has raised over £800,000 for charities since its inception in 1966. It involves a gruelling drive around the coastline of Britain, all completed within a weekend. Among them was Team Very Amateur Motorsport, for whom the charity has special meaning. Team member Shaun Roche lost his mum, Jean, to the illness in January this year. Shaun, along with John Welsh, a renowned classic hillclimber, and Hamish Roscoe, who competes in sprint events, took part in one of the last-ever Triumphs made – a 1983 Acclaim. ‘We’ve raised more than £5000 for Parkinson’s UK, and we’re determined to keep going,’ said Shaun, from…

Collaboration between clubs is always a good thing because of the economies of scale. That’s why last year’s Inter-Club International Weekend at the Malvern Three Counties Showground was such a great event; thanks to the efforts of the Triumph Sports Six Club, the TR Register and the MG Car Club, it brought together lots of other smaller clubs. Next year, the Morris Register will be running a similar event from Friday July 31 until Sunday August 2, at Thoresby Park in Nottinghamshire. One of the people behind it is David Allanson, who said: ‘A lot of smaller clubs are struggling to put on national rallies due to rising costs, so we set up Morris Fest, which is open to any club regardless of make or model. The Morris Register will do…

For several years, it was my dream car – the Vauxhall hypersaloon they tried to ban. Celebrated by every true petrolhead who drove one and every wannabe who went near one, it was uncompromising – a car for true believers. Delivering high performance in perfect style and absolute comfort for all the family, the Lotus Carlton was a one-off. Every time I see one, it still smacks me in the chops – an evocative reminder of a time when there was fast road ambition and ‘outside the box’ thinking in car design. I wish I had bought one in 2001. I had an opportunity to bag a tatty ‘user’ for just six grand. I didn’t, so I am still dreaming today. Sometimes though, dreams come a little bit true, so…

Across 1 Mitsubishi mini MPVs launched in the late 1990s (5,5) 8 Old name of AC Cars (4,8)  9 Romanian off-road marque (3) 10 Opel Senator-based German car sold from 1979 to 1989 (6,2) 13 Like NSU, nationality-wise (6) 14 Makers of the Interceptor (6) 17 Windows that featured on the Lotus Europa S2 (8) 19 Engine management system, for short (3) 21 French-built hatchbacks and cabriolets from the 1980s (6,6) 22 Badge _, like the Daimler Sovereign, for example (10) Down 2 Steyr _, the name behind the 650 TR II from the 1960s (4)  3 It replaced the Mitsubishi Colt Celeste in 1982 (6) 4 Short-lived Coventry car which debuted in 1929 (5,3) 5 Succumbs to the effects of corrosion (5) 6 Pininfarina-designed Rolls-Royce model released in 1975…

An interesting daydream turned into a nightmare. My old school classroom. The sound of chalk on slate filling the air as we scribble down our times tables after a discussion centring on a world map on the wall featuring the British Empire highlighted in pink. Frighteningly ‘teacher,’ never to be called by her first name of Rachel, is mysteriously someone very much from today. Suddenly a blackboard rubber hits me squarely between the eyes. ‘You! Larkin! ‘Yes Miss Reeves!’ ‘Have you been driving an Austin Cambridge without paying for your road tax?’ ‘Erm, I have Miss, but it’s been allowed. Anyone can drive a classic car 40-years-old or more at zero rate excise duty. ‘Well not after my budget they’re not. Bring that car to me now. I am going…

This is a tale that should cause many a campaigner for ‘the next generation’ to breathe a sigh of relief and shows how great things can come from pioneer schemes. Dan Hunter served his apprenticeship through Banbury and Bicester college just prior to the conception of the Heritage Skills Academy. Now, at the age of just 28, he runs his own business – Whitsun Motorsport, specialising in repair, restoration and maintenance of vintage and classic cars. With experience in everything from Austin Sevens to TVR Grantura and MGB racers, Dan set up his business three years ago in the corner of a farm shed. After just six months, the business moved to a proper industrial unit before expanding again in September 2024, moving into its current premises. ‘Pre-war is where…

Audi S6 (C4 first-gen) 30 LEFT ON UK ROADS No, we’re not talking about the bombastic first-generation RS6 (C5), but its slower and surprisingly sparse C4-generation precursor. The first-generation Audi S6 followed in the four-wheel drive footsteps of the S4 that predated it; both were on the same C4 platform as the legendary Porsche-developed RS2 Avant. Adding to the confusion, you could also get an S6 Avant, with both body shapes available with 2.2 turbo five-cyl or, even rarer with just 30-odd survivors, a n/a V8 (282bhp). There was also a quattro GMB-Htuned S6 Plus (316bhp). Not that the lessen-dowed S6 was a slouch. Its turbo 20-valve five-pot meant 60mph from rest in just over six seconds and a 227bhp punch sent to each corner, allowing you to enjoy all…

To the old boys out there… I see you. I see you grinning at the wheel of the cars you’ve cherished your whole lives. I see you clambering in and out of your MGBs and Spitfires. And I’ll be joining you someday; determined as I am to enjoy my Smart Roadster for as long as my bones allow! I’ve recently started making that ‘euugh’ noise when hauling myself out of the car. This year marks the 20th year of Roadster ownership and it’s a car I’ll hope to still be driving 20 years from now. That’s if the robots haven’t taken over by then. They’ll have to forcibly prize the keys from my human hands first. Regular readers will note that I have bought two other Roadsters in the past…

I need another ZAZ 968 like I need a hole in the head,' I emphatically told its owner, reader Colin Thomas. Three days later, I'd agreed to buy it. 'I bought this from a Lithuanian guy who said it was lovely. The brake pedal went straight to the floor and the roof was caved in,' went his carefully honed sales pitch. Whether the second sentence was two unconnected statements or a short story was not clear. The only picture available was from 2019 shortly after he bought it. It looked derelict. My immediate, unspoken thought was that it would be useful to put at the back of the barn to harvest for spares. I have a couple of other cars from the Ukrainian factory where quality was not so much…

FIRST IMPRESSIONS Fading Paint discolouration can be caused by a number of issues. The key is to identify the cause, so the correct solution can be applied. Oxidised paint surfaces are simply fixed – but if there isn’t sufficient paint present, it can be a dangerous game. Seats Leather seats develop both creases and wear marks as they age. To many, this is simply part of the beauty of the material – but if scuffs strike through the surface colour, or creases develop into cracks, it may mean a retrim is required. Headlining Glued headlinings can fail over time as the adhesive loses its elasticity. This can be down to age, damp or even poor cleaning and maintenance. But nobody likes wearing it as a hat while they drive around…